Hawkeye Reporter

The following awards were 2021 recipients.

Rookie of the Year – Samantha Reisinger

This year's 'Rookie of the Year' is a living example of how having a strong work ethic and dedication to personal growth will bring success to your life. The recipient came to JGMFD with little formal experience, but has excelled at learning the job and becoming a valuable team member. Her peers nominated her for always being willing to step up and do whatever without complaint or hesitation. This Rookie has been noted to have the ability to avoid conflict and drama while quietly focusing on bettering themselves and their crew. She shows dedication to the JGMFD core values and shows a high level of professionalism both inside the station and while out in public. Like many award recipients, this Rookie demonstrates how to handle the first two years in our department while growing in comfort and skill level but remaining humble at all times.

EMS Provider of the Year - Simon Carl

This year's 'EMS Provider of the Year' can be relied upon to deliver high-quality EMS care while remaining extremely compassionate towards his patients, even during scenes filled with emotion and frustration during the pandemic. As the call volume increases, it is felt on the EMS side of the department, with members providing more life-saving care than ever before. Simon has been relied upon to mentor new EMS providers, and he is selfless in his approach to providing the best care to his patients while also finding time to develop other members within our department. He steps up to help the EMS division by actively seeking additional responsibilities as a Lead Medic and Preceptor.

Company Citation - Lt. Redmond, Shawn Benberg, Kevin Long, Riley Romick and Billy Giusto

On June 8, 2021, Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire Department (JGMFD) was dispatched to a Casey's General Store parking lot at 1650 NE Beaverbrook Drive in Grimes. JGMFD crews responded without delay and arrived on the scene to find a 33-year-old female who was actively delivering a baby in the passenger seat of her car. The baby was delivered as the crew walked up to make patient contact. The crew quickly recognized that the baby was blue, not crying, and needed rapid intervention by EMS personnel. They quickly got the mother and baby to the ambulance, cutting the umbilical cord, suctioning and bagging using O2-supplemented BVM, and actively warming the newly born patient. This team recognized a problem with premature delivery and got the infant and mother to the hospital in an improved condition. Due to their quick actions and calm and professional performance, the patients arrived at the hospital alive and in an improved condition.

Firefighter of the Year – Riley Romick 

This year's 'Firefighter of the Year' recipient is a walking demonstration of JGMFD's core values. Always striving to learn new things, his work ethic is unmatched by almost any other department member. Riley is always willing to help others get things done and continually goes above and beyond to ensure he is ready for any job. As recognized by his peers and leadership, Riley provides the model of what we want all the firefighters on JGMFD to emulate. The discipline and respect that he has snown, not only for the job, but for each of his fellow firefighters and officers, represents why his peers nominated him.

Fire Officer of the Year –  Captain Tristan Johnson

This year's 'Fire Officer of the Year' embodies the organization's core values. Captain Tristan Johnson's commitment and devotion to the JGMFD organization, and the fire service, are unparalleled. In addition to his Officer duties, he maintains a high level of understanding regarding the organization's training needs and spends countless hours outside of his normal schedule, ensuring this organization is mission capable. His supervisors, peers and subordinates praise Tristan for his strong leadership abilities, strong managerial skills, and dedication to the organization.

Life Safety Award - John Sweeny (Lieutenant), Joe Hoium (Firefighter), Andrew Pratt (Firefighter), Scott Towers (Firefighter/Paramedic), Ming Tommee (Firefighter/Paramedic)

On August 20, 2021, at approximately 5:00 p.m., units were dispatched to a single-family home in Johnston for a patient in cardiac arrest. JGMFD crew members overcame numerous setbacks from the beginning of the call. These included a dispatching error and an equipment malfunction, but the crew could still successfully provide lifesaving treatment to the patient. The crew performed resuscitation efforts according to protocol and achieved ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) before leaving the incident scene. The crew delivered the patient to the hospital, where treatment continued, resulting in the patient being discharged days later. 

Life Safety Award – Alex Headley (Lieutenant), Brook Hansen (Firefighter), and Ginger McAndrew (Firefighter); Riley Romick (Firefighter/Paramedic) and Levi Johnson (Firefighter/Paramedic)

On November 10, 2021, at approximately 7:00 p.m., crews were dispatched to a single family home for a patient with breathing problems. Units arrived on the scene and began treating a conscious and alert patient complaining of respiratory distress. After a brief assessment, the patient was assisted to the cot and taken to the ambulance for hospital transport for further evaluation. The patient became unconscious and unresponsive just before being loaded into the ambulance. Crews rapidly assessed the patient, finding they had gone into cardiac arrest. The crew immediately deployed resuscitation efforts and provided defibrillation, bringing the patient out of a heart dysrhythmia. Thanks to these lifesaving measures, the patient was again delivered to the hospital conscious and alert and walked out of the hospital days later.

Life Safety Award - Nick Stewart (Captain), Andy Odell (Firefighter), Alex Aubert (Firefighter), Nathan Gobell (Firefighter/Paramedic), Tanya Pierce (Firefighter/EMT), Tristan Johnson (Captain)

On December 3, 2021, at approximately 11:00 p.m., units were dispatched to a single-family home for a patient in cardiac arrest. Units responded while receiving updates that the patient had agonal breathing and no pulse. Upon arrival, the crew immediately began providing resuscitation efforts and deployed specific interventions that ultimately resulted in the patient regaining a pulse while on scene. The patient was transported to the hospital, conscious and alert, where a full recovery was achieved.

Original source can be found here.